Reviews

We undertake independent reviews of UK aid spending and its contribution to development impact

Departments with new aid budgets are increasingly developing their understanding of how to use aid effectively – but more should be done to integrate learning into international development spending across government to ensure value for money.

Over the period from 2015 to 2019, ICAI has accumulated a rich body of evidence on the performance of UK aid. We have drawn together the key findings from across the 28 reviews and four follow-ups conducted over the last four years, to produce an analysis of the current state of UK aid and the challenges ahead.

A £735 million aid fund is poorly designed to deliver its primary purpose of addressing development challenges and advancing development for the poorest people and countries through research and innovation, and does not ensure its spending is a good use of UK aid.

Filter Reviews

Departments with new aid budgets are increasingly developing their understanding of how to use aid effectively – but more should be done to integrate learning into international development spending across government to ensure value for money.

Over the period from 2015 to 2019, ICAI has accumulated a rich body of evidence on the performance of UK aid. We have drawn together the key findings from across the 28 reviews and four follow-ups conducted over the last four years, to produce an analysis of the current state of UK aid and the challenges ahead.

A £735 million aid fund is poorly designed to deliver its primary purpose of addressing development challenges and advancing development for the poorest people and countries through research and innovation, and does not ensure its spending is a good use of UK aid.

DFID programmes have expanded access to family planning and some maternal health services, but a renewed effort is required to reach young women and girls and to generate lasting impacts on quality of care and maternal health outcomes.